An overview of the history and the tradition, tracing Buddhism from its inception in India to its transmission to China, and its subsequent blossoming throughout the world.

Nan Huai-Chin shares its basics and origins, relating the many stories surrounding the life of Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, as well as the cultural and religious setting in India that fostered the initial rise of Buddhism.

He discusses Buddhism in the rest of Asia, Europe and America, and brings us to date with a discussion of Buddhism in the 20th century. An extensive appendix explains the Zen Monastic System, with an especially interesting discussion on living in the Zen Hall, Zen Master Baizhang’s enlightenment and the 20 essential rules of the Zen community. For a solid understanding of contemporary Buddhism in its varied forms, this is an indispensable book.